Pancakes
by jouissance
Summary: Regina and Emma discuss Henry and the missing year. SwanQueen if you like, but nothing explicit. One shot.


It has been a lovely fic filled day. Thank you for reading and hopefully reviewing.

Also, does anyone know where I can post challenges? I have something in my head that I would love to get other writers take on. Thanks in advance.

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Pancakes

"I can make pancakes!" Emma Swan burst through the door into the office of Mayor Regina Mills. The former queen looked up from her paperwork and cocked at eyebrow at the blonde standing before her.

"Congratulations, Miss Swan. Would you like me to make an announcement at the next city council meeting?"

"Regina, lose the smug." Emma plopped down in the chair across the desk. Regina shrugged her shoulders and closed the file. Emma had a point. They knew each other well enough to drop the acts.

"Fine," Regina folded her arms across her chest. "No smugness intended, why do I care that you can make pancakes?"

"Because I never could. Before the curse I never could." Emma was up and pacing around the room, pent up energy needing somewhere to go. "I was making pancakes for Henry this morning and they were perfect: Betty Crocker perfect. They're always perfect. And I was thinking that I've been making these perfect pancakes for my son almost every morning since he was old enough to eat them. But, we both know I haven't!" She stopped in front of the desk and slammed her hands on its surface causing Regina to jump. "I can't make pancakes, Regina. I tried once for Henry when we were still living with David and Mary Margaret and they were horrible. He couldn't even eat them! But now, I made perfect pancakes."

"Obviously you learned to make them in the last year," Regina offered, keeping her voice level and trying to figure out how to get out of the conversation she was afraid was coming.

"No." Emma came around the desk and sat on it, leaning inches from Regina face. "Regina, why do I know how to make pancakes?"

"Because I taught you." Reina quickly got out of her chair, needing some distance. She didn't do well with confrontation she couldn't resolve with a well- aimed fireball. "They're Henry's favorite and since he told me that yours were pretty awful," Regina flushed feeling somewhat guilty for the confession, "I figured if I was never going to see him again, he should at least get decent pancakes for breakfast." Regina turned from the bookcase she was absently re-arranging to see Emma squatting in the corner, staring intently at the area rug. "Emma?"

"He took his first steps in here," Emma said somewhere between a statement and a question. Her eyes were lost in a memory that wasn't quite right. "I can see him, walking across the rug to me. Regina…"

Regina couldn't help the tears that sprang from her eyes, she hastily wiped them away. "Look, Emma, I'm very busy. Everyone's been sent back here, we have no memory of the last year, and let's not forget to mention the Witch."

Emma grabbed Regina's arm, preventing her from returning to her desk. "You gave me your memories." It wasn't a question. The look of shock on Emma's face told Regina that she had worked it all out. Regina sighed. She had been hoping to avoid this conversation. Why couldn't Emma just leave well enough alone?

"Look, Emma, the last thing I remember before waking up here was saying goodbye to my son and stopping Pan's curse. I promised you good memories and it was faster and easier to swap us out than to make thousands of new moments for you and Henry. He already had those memories and I wanted him to keep them. I…" Regina scrubbed her hands over her face. "I wanted you both to be happy. Can we just leave it?" She quickly crossed the room and sat down on the couch suddenly needing to get off her shaking legs. Talking about Henry hurt, remembering everything they shared was torture.

"Do you want them back?" Emma sat down next to her. Regina laughed at the innocent question and shook her head.

"I still have them, but thank you." Regina's eyes welled with tears again she looked away before she thought Emma noticed. Emma sat stone still next to her. Neither woman was great at friendship , and Emma had no clue how to comfort the woman next to her.

"Thank you." Emma finally said and surprised herself when she reached out and took Regina's hand from the couch. Regina turned back quickly and stared at their joined hands half expecting something to combust. After a moment she accepted it for what it was.

"Emma," Regina paused trying to find the right words. "You're his mother too. Those memories: first words, first steps, endless sleepless nights. Those are memories that every mother should have with her child." She raised their joined hands. "And I'm truly glad you have them." Now it was Emma's turn to look away. She held tightly to Regina's hand while she tried to stop the flow of tears.

"We are really bad at this," Emma laughed.

"That we are," Regina agreed as she got up from the couch, wiped her eyes, and smoothed her skirt.

"I'll let you get back to work." Emma gestured toward the Mayor's desk, noticing for the first time the extreme amount of paperwork and tried to rationalize this hard working, heartbroken woman with the Evil Queen that so many still feared. She was half way out the door when Regina's voice stopped her.

"Emma," Regina's demeanor changed instantly. Emma was taken aback by the broken woman that stood before her. "Please don't take him back to New York," she whispered, stepping closer to Emma than she would have previously dared. "Please."

Emma's mind was processing a million things at once. Had she said she was leaving with Henry? Had she said that to Regina? Had she said that to herself? "No!" she said louder than she intended and it echoed in the room. "This is _home_. Regina, we're not going anywhere." Strong arms wrapped around Emma's back and before she could take in what was happening, Storybrooke's mayor, Evil Queen was shaking in her arms and crying into her neck. Emma returned the hug, timidly at first, but when Regina held tighter, so did she. "We'll find a way to get his memories back, I promise. Until then," she pushed Regina back so that she could look her in the eye, "you should meet him. Spend time with him. It'll do you both good."

"I don't know if can." Regina shook her head, not bothering to wipe tears.

"You can." Emma gently, reassuringly, shook her friend's shoulders. "Grannie's. Five O'clock. Be there." Emma turned quickly and walked out the door leaving Regina, mouth open, staring after her. What had just happened? Regina let out a long breath she didn't know she'd been holding, smiled to herself, and returned to the mountain of paperwork on her desk.

"Pancakes," she mused to herself.


End file.
